Wrench



Get. 20, 1936. W. B, LUCAS 2,057,899

WRENCH Filed Aug. 2l, 1955 '-ilmmn -mllllll INVENTOR MB. Luca( A, BY (/ATTOR EY Patented Oct. 20, 1936 l-)UNITED s'rrvrlas PATENT OFFICE WRENCH lWilliam B. Lucas, New York, N. Y., assigner of one-half to Peter L. Wilbur, Tuckahoe, N. Y.

Application August 21, 1933, Serial No. 686,000

2 claims. (o1. :zi- 99) sflhisinvention relates to'wrenches adaptedfor tion of the wrench with one lever partlyv in section the-applicationvof nuts to bolts and the. like or to to show the pivotal connection of the levers and .serveas apipe wrench, embodying alever in theA showing in dotted lines the diierent positions to form of a bar one end of which is adapted to which the pivoted lever is adjustable for the ap- 5 f serve fas aihancl grip and the opposite end asa plication of the same t0 nuts or pipes of different grippingjaw, and a second lever arranged with a sizes. jaw pivotally connected to the jaw end of the rst Figure 4 is a perspective view of the jaw end lever, .the jaw of the second lever being adapted of Vone of the 'levers to show the arrangement to have angular adjustment relative to the jaw thereof for the pivotal connection of the other lendof the rst lever to permit of the application lever thereto. l0 o f .the wrench to different sizes of nuts or pipes Figure 5 is a front elevation of the pivoted jaw. andthe like.. .In the commercial type of wrench Figure 6 is a side elevation of the pivoted jaw oithis character the movable lever has a fixedv looking at the right of Figure 5. Pivotal connection, with the other, lever, and as Figure 7 is a front elevation of the pivoted jaw 155i the jaws are adapted to, only grip nuts coming showing a modied structure thereof to adapt it 15 within a predetermined size it is necessary to have as a pipe'grpping jaw. sevelavlsizes of wrenches. In the use of the wrench Figure 8 is a front elevation of the jaw end of as a pipe wrench it is necessary that the jaws be the wrench showing in a diagrammatic manner serratedin order that the jaws shall grip the the gripping of a nut or pipe between the jaws 2'0" round surface of the pipe, and as the jaws of a and the direction ofthe stresses on the-jaws dur- 20 wrench are adapted to be utilized only with pipe ing the gripping action. Y coming within a predetermined diameter,L it is not In the embodiment of the invention illustrated only necessary to have a separate wrench for use in the drawing'the one lever 9 is in the form of a as apipe wrench V but also several sizes of such bar arranged as a hand grip at one end and bent wrenches for diierent sizes of pipes. adjacent one end laterally in the direction of its 25 It is the primary object of the invention to Width, as at l0, and then bent in a reversed direcprovide a wrench of this character wherein the tion, as at I I, to provide a jaw I2 at the end of the pivoted lever has a releasable connection with the lever the opposite edges I3, I4 of which extend in lever arranged with the hand grip and thus adaptparallel relation at an acute angle to the longitudiing one lever for the interchangeableconnection nal axis of the lever with the jaw face I5 ar- 30 o idiferent sizes of pivoted levers, and thus adapt ranged at the end, said face being of eccentric the. .nsame for use in connection with diierent or irregular arcuate form the curvature of which sizes of nuts or pipes and thus greatly reduce the extends transversely of the width of the lever cost to the user of such wrenches. and downwardly from an edge thereof, in the pres- V lriwvvrenches of this character heretofore the ent instance the edge I3, to the opposite edge I4. 35 jawsvhave been arranged so that the stress on the A slot VI6 .is extended transversely through the jaws in the gripping of a nut or pipe are exerted width of the lever 9 and extending from the end as a bending stress on the outer ends of the jaws of the jaw I2 at the bend I I toward the opposite and tending to rupture the same. It is a further end of the lever. The end wall of the slot oppoobject of the invention torprovide an improved site to the jaw face I5 has a portion I'l extending 40 construction and arrangement of jaws in at a right angle to the edges I3, I 4 of the jaw, wrenches of this character whereby the stresses and a portion I8 extending at an acute angle of the gripping force on the movable jaw will be thereto with an arcuate recess I9 interposed beinfa direction inward 'from the end, and on the tween said wall portions, said recess being of arcuother jaw in a direction toward the axis of the ate shape in cross section, as shown at 20. 45 pivotal connection of Vthe levers and thus reliev-A The other lever is substantially of arcuate shape ingthe jaws ofl any bending and rupturing in longitudinal section arranged with a jaw 2I at stresses. one end and a shank portion 22 extending from In the drawing accompanying and forming a substantially midway the length thereof to the 505 part of this application Figure 1 is a front eleva' opposite end, the shank being of less thickness 50 tion' of vrnyimproved. wrenchv showing the jaws in than the jaw end and of a thickness to loosely normal position. engage in the lever slot I6. The end portion 23 Figure 2 isa side elevation of the upper portion of ,the face of the jaw extends inwardly from the ofthe wrench looking 'at the right of Figure 1. end in angular relation to the adjacent portion 24 .':fFigure 3 isafrcnt elevation of the upper porof the jaw face, and the lever is pivotally and 55.

removably connected with the other lever with the jaw face in opposed relation to the lever jaw I2 by a circular ear 25 extended inwardly from adjacent the end of the shank 22 in opposed rela tion to the jaw face, said ear being adapted to pivotally engage in the arcuate recess I9 in the end wall of the slot I5, and the edge thereof being of arcuate shape in cross section, as shown at 25', to correspondwith the cross sectional curvature 29 of the'recess'L I ggwhereby the jaw end 2l of the lever'may have" slight lateral canting move# ment to compensate for irregularitiesY in a nut or.,

pipe engaged between the jaws. By this arrange ment of the pivotal connection of the levers then,... lever jaw 2I will be in overhanging relationwto'l the lever jaw i2, and is normally'yieldinglyurged .j

to maintain the pivotal connection andto 'the position shown in Figure l1 byL-.aleafj spring `26;I fixed at one end by suitable means, as bya rivet,` 27, to the lever 9, the free end being arran'gdto" j' extend into the lever slot I6r andy engage the outer surface of the'rlever shank 22 at one sideof the center ofthe pivot ear 25, andthereby by the inherent tension thereof urge the jaw end2I of the pivoted lever in a direction toward theleverjaw I2. The outer arcuate face of the shank end vof the pivoted; leveris-eccentric'to the axis ofthe pivot ear 25 and bythis yarrangement theend portion of thespring 26 will engage the pivoted lever in all positions thereof at theside of the pivot ear 25, as shown in -dottedlines'inl'igure 3. 'To-facilitate the moving of the jaw end of .the pivoted lever away from the jawV I2 against the. tensionof spring Zvfor the engagementof jnuts 'or pipes o f different sizes betweenthe jaws, said lever is provided with a finger or thumb .engag-V ing'projection 28- extending laterally .from the pivot end thereof and lin all positions of the lever projecting frcm the lever slot I6.

As stated, a pivoted lever in a wrench of this type is adapted for application of nuts within certain limits, and to use the same with nuts of largersize the pivoted jaw must be of larger size.

Also vto utilize the same as a pipe wrench in orderv to effectively grip the pipe it is necessary that .the

face portion. 23 of the pivotedv jaw be provided with a gripping surface, Vusually provided .by transversely serrating said portion of the jaw face 23, as shown at 23 in AFigure '7, and by the pivotal connection of the leversas described the pivoted lever is interchangeably connected with the lever 9.

andin orderthat the pivoted lever may be readily removed g and another substituted therefor by exerting a downward force on said lever against the tension of the spring 26 to disengage the pivot ear 25 from the recess I9, and Vthen moving the leverlaterally out of the lever slotV I 6, and it-may be as readily connected with thelever 9 by in. serting the shank 22 of the lever in the lever slot I6 against the ,tensionof the spring and then or rod of a corresponding diameter, and for use: in connection with nuts or pipes of larger size a. pivoted lever maybereadily substituted to adapt the wrench for use in connection with vsuch4v nuts Furthermore, by the arrangement of the face 23, 24 of the pivoted lever relative to the pivot ear 25 and the arrangement of the lever jaw I2 and its face I5 the force of the stresses of the jaw I2 are transmitted to the jaw 2| in a direction inward from thekend of the face 23 on a line 3l (Figure 8) extending at approximately 27 degrees to a line 32 extended through the center .of the pivotal connection of the levers andthecorner formed at the juncturelofgtlie' angularportiorisL-Z\v ,24 of the faceo'f jaw 2li" 'Ihe angular portions 23, 24 of ythe jaw face are arranged to conform to a nut f 'square .or hexagonal form, in the present instance shown for use with hexagonal nuts, so that said faces will embrace.. the adjacent faces of the lnut'aridh'oldjth'cyefn1-1t or pipe to the jaw I2 by a force vexerted'ontlie line 32, and the stress of the force of' drawingranu't or pipe home,` which is in Aa direction indicated by the arrow a, is transmittedtl'ir'ough the jaw I2 to the jaw 2| substantial-ly inja .directionindicated by rthefline. 23 I; the

face I5 of. jaw l2 due to. the irregular or eccentric;

curvature; thereof 'engagingthe-nutfata point;A

' withinacorner thereof.

Instead of providing the pivotedl lever with/the nge'r or thumb grip 2B, .the endradjacent Ythe pivot ear andlnormally projecting fromthe lever. slot I6.may be serrated as shown at 28'. -ir1.Fig-` Having thus described my invention. I. claimlw..

1. Inr a wrench,a leverarranged as a hand-grip with a jaw at one .end havingY an arcuate curved'- end face the curvature of: which extendsfrom-on'eV side downwardlyto the oppositeside andfsaid lever having aslot extendedV therethroughin theE direction of the face of-'the jaw 'with an arcuate recess in theend wall'opposed tothe jaw-face to adapt the same for the interchangeablepivotal connection of one of a seriesof levers thereto,'each of said interchangeable-levers being of #arcuate shape inlongitudinal section with the innerV edge Y arranged as a series of straight line portions ex-` tending at an angle tol each other, a pairof straight line portions at one end 'constituting an angular jaw face' and the opposite end ofv said lever beingA adapted to engage'inthe slot of the rst lever and having ay circularear extendedlinwardly therefrom in parallel relation toast'raightf` line portion adjacent the jaw Y'face and'adapte'd to engage the arcuate recess in thefen'd'vwall fof' the lever slot to pivotally connect the levers'v'vith said straight une portionadjacentthe jaw raceiii opposed relation to a side of the jrawof-Y the" rstlever,said faces of the lever jaws being arranged whereby-the force of the stress of the jaw'of lvthe rst leverr on an article'between the jaws is transmitted through the jaw to the pivoted'leverin a line extended at an acute angle to a line extended through the center of. the `pivotal.connectionof` the levers and lthe'corner'formed by Athe outer'V angular portions of Vtheface of: thejaw' ofthe second lever, and means Vto yieldinglyj maintain the: levers pivotally connected and`V urge* thef' ate .recess in the wall opposedtoithe jawfaca'd 75' lever and have adjustment angularly thereof to vary the space between the jaws, the cross section of the arcuate recess and circular ear being of corresponding arcuate form to permit of, limited lateral movement .of the lever jaws relative to each 5 other to compensate for irregularities in articles engaged between the jaws.

WILLIAM B. LUCAS. 

